Orange City, Iowa – Dakota Wesleyan fell on the road 69-67 against the (RV) Northwestern Red Raiders. DWU let this one slip away late as the Tigers held a eight-point lead with 2:24 left in the game but allowed NWC to go on a 7-0 run in the next 1:30 to close within one. The Tigers committed two costly turnovers down the stretch resulting in the 69-67 final. Despite the loss, DWU got a standout performance from Shalayne Nagel off the bench with her season high 18 points to go with eight rebounds, four assists, and three blocks. Emma Yost, Isabel Ihnen, and Rylee Rosenquist were also all in double figures for points.
Recap – The Tigers who typically are in inside heavy offensive team was forced to take mid-range and three-point shots with the Red Raider defense giving a lot of space and showing early that they are going to make the Tigers beat them from mid to deep range. This game plan paid off as the Tigers went ice cold in the first quarter only recording 11 points and struggling to knock down opener jumpers. DWU kept themselves within reach though with their constantly tough defense that held NWC to 17 points. The Tigers forced four turnovers throughout the first which they turned into six points. Halfway through the first DWU trailed by just one-point by the Raiders closed the quarter out on a 9-4 run to grab a 17-11 lead.
The scrappy undersized Tigers crashed the offensive boards in the first quarter and only turned it up even more in the second. DWU dominated NWC 11-3 on the offensive glass and turned those 11 second chance looks into 12 points. The Tigers also continued their defensive efforts forcing 10 total Northwestern turnovers in the half, which they turned into 12 points as well compared to DWU committing just three turnovers. The Tigers leading scorer on the year Emma Yost seemed to be getting extra attention from the Raider defenders with extra defenders coming over to help and leaving shooters open on the perimeter. Yost still led DWU in the half with her eight points to go along with three rebounds. Isabel Ihnen had five points and six rebounds from the guard position while Shalayne Nagel provided quality minutes off the bench stuffing the stat sheet with her five points, six rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. DWU trailed by as much as seven in the quarter but thanks to a 9-0 DWU clawed their way back and even grabbed their first lead of the game right before the half. The Raiders got that lead back and held a slim 32-31 advantage heading to the locker room.
The third quarter was all Nagel who coming into the game was 1 for 6 from deep but figured it out in this one going a perfect 4 for 4 from beyond the arc to give DWU a seven-point lead and make the Raider defense pay for their backed off help defense style down low. Dakota Wesleyan, thanks to Nagel on both ends of the court won the third quarter 20-17 and held a two-point advantage going to the final quarter. The Tigers kept this momentum going starting the final frame on a 6-0 run drawing a NWC timeout who now faced a eight point deficit. Dakota Wesleyan kept that lead all the way to the 2:24 mark and were looking to close the Raiders out. Northwestern, however, went on a 7-0 run in the next 1:30 to come within one of the Tigers. Nagel came up big for her team again hitting a base line floater to put DWU up three with 17 seconds left. Christensen elected to foul the Raiders instead of giving them a chance to hit a three and send it to overtime.
The gameplan paid off the first two times as DWU burned seven seconds off the clock and still held that same three-point lead. After two made free throws by NWC they trailed by just one but DWU had the ball. The Tigers would turn the ball over on their next two possessions and be forced to quick foul both times sending NWC to the foul line for a total of four attempts. NWC converted 3 of 4 to take a two-point lead with four seconds left. The miss came on the last free throw which only gave the Tigers four seconds to get a shot off which was off the mark resulting in the 69-67 road loss.
Head-to-Head (Northwestern)
- The Tigers are now 25-42 all-time against the Raiders with tonight’s loss.
- DWU won all three matchups last season against NWC.
- Dakota Wesleyan is 6-4 in the last 10 matchups with Northwestern.
Up Next
- Dakota Wesleyan women’s basketball returns to Mitchell for a matchup at the Palace Saturday, December 9 against Mount Marty with tipoff at 2 p.m.